Prologue to ‘The Alchemist’s Stone’ (Coming soon!)

Prologue

Beginnings

It was Vaaspar who existed since the beginning of time—as told in the lore of the world—and He awoke all living things with a unique Magic of His own making, known as Elúvías. He desired greatly to create and awaken living things that slept away in the earth, and those He awoke foremost He called Beloved. In His own tongue they were called Celebhas, the Celestial Spirits. Having awakened Abaddon, Prince of the Celebhas, out of the ground where he lay, Vaaspar gave him strength, and the Celebhas took in the breath of life. Many others did Vaaspar awaken at the beginning of time, and many dwelt in his home in Elúne: it was known to Men as theWhite Land. He taught them all, His Beloved, to awaken and love life.

As the days elapsed, Abaddon marveled at the beauty of Vaaspar’s home; indeed, he yearned for it and alas! he lusted for it. He desired to have it for himself so much that he fell out of the Realm of Light and into the Realm of Darkness, for he plotted to overthrow Vaaspar secretly; but his plan was discovered, and Vaaspar, knowing his thoughts, cast him out of Elúne into a forsaken land of solitude and darkness. He turned from the Prince of the Celebhas and became the King of the Draemhas, the Infernal Spirits: they were those who loved darkness rather than light and were made black by the evil in their hearts. And many followed him.

In the years that followed, having been given immortality by Vaaspar’s blessing at the beginning of the days, Abaddon studied his former master and learned of His great love for Men: for they were the youngest of all the awoken creations and in great need of knowl­edge and wisdom. Vaaspar dwelt amongst the Men of Gaia—the lands belonging to Men—for quite some time and He was called the Lord of Light by the peoples of Gaia. He taught them many things of the world, and how to care for the land. But through all the passing days, Abaddon had not forgotten either his anger against Vaaspar for casting him out of Elúne or his desire to be ruler of the White Land; and he longed before long to change it to a land of endless darkness. He mustered up an army of wild animals and terrible beasts of old for his first assault on Elúne. In those days, time seemed to pass quickly; the days were like a short breath or the blink of an eye.

It was during those days—the Age before Men had Kings—when Abaddon, the Lord of Darkness, arose from Vexú’Nar Krja—the Realm of Darkness—a place of great evil and shadows, and assaulted Elúne, the Realm of Light where Vaaspar dwelt,; it was the year 1378 World Reckoning, during the first years of Men. He took with him many of those who were among the first awoken at the start of it all. They were called the Celebhas, an immortal and celestial race, before their rebellion against Vaaspar. Later, those who had fallen came to be known as the Draemhas, the Scourge of Elúne.

After suffering a terrible defeat at Vaaspar’s hand, Abaddon retreated to his land to the far north of the Eastern Lands of Gaia across a small sea called the Grim Deep, for he was unable to endure Vaaspar’s mighty bow and his gleaming sword of blinding, white fire. Vaaspar had the mind to end his life there, but He relented and resided peacefully in Elúne for some time, not to return to Gaia for many long years. The Men of Gaia gave the name Dragoth to the Realm of Darkness where Abaddon resided, and they feared him greatly for many ages. The Dark Lord they called him in those days, and they held a great sense of contempt towards him.

In the year 2567 Men’s Reckoning (M.R.) of the First Age of Kings, when time still seemed to move swiftly, and the years of men were great—when the Great Lords of Gaia ruled their glorious kingdoms of old—Abaddon mustered a new army: this time he would attack the Men of Gaia out of spite for Vaaspar. Abaddon used the knowledge taught to him by the Lord of Light to awaken new, vile creatures and more Celebhas whom he would charm and change into Draemhas. He used his knowledge of the land and his ever-increasing power to raise a land bridge, almost four leagues wide, from Dragoth to Gaia so his armies could march upon the kingdoms of Men.

As quickly as his army grew, his blackened heart was filled with great anxiety for the plan he set before him. His conquest began in the northeastern land that would one day come to be called Caire Thrael. The Great Lords rose to face the Dark Lord, but his power was too great. And the swing of his mighty war maul and the slash of his black blade were too dominant for their might; and the shots of his fiery darts proved menacing. The Great Lords of Gaia retreated far away to the Western lands across the Great River, named Raumas Mílnk: it was named by Vaaspar Himself, and its name meant enormous river.

The Lord of Light, hearing word of the invasion, awoke mighty beasts from the earth and gave them each a mighty element to use as power: one was given power over the earth, another over fire, one over lightning, another over wind and the last one ruled over water. These He gave control to rule the five elements of power, one to each beast. He called them Elúvaín, which means Brood of Light, and Men called them Dragons. This day began the age of Dragons, year one of Dragon Reckoning (D.R). The five mighty Dragons flew across the Great Sea and defeated Abaddon with the help of Vaaspar, the Celebhas and Men; and the Dark Lord and his army fled across the Grim Deep to Dragoth on their black warships, though many also fled into the Eastern Lands finding their way back along the land bridge to Dragoth. The Elúvaín were ordered by Vaaspar to deliver Abaddon to Him; then Vaaspar banished Abaddon’s spirit to the Realm of the Dead: it was named Shaekle by Vaaspar. And ever since, the spirit of the Dark Lord roamed the earth seeking a new body, but there was none in whom he found favor.

Many years passed and he discovered new powers that were previously unbeknownst to him. In the year 1654 D.R., the Dark Lord began to whisper into the ears of Men; and their minds were swayed, and their hearts plunged deeply into darkness. Many evil Men obeyed the callings of the Dark Lord, and Vaaspar was grieved by their treachery. New armies, wars and, ultimately, destruction erupted across the lands of Gaia. The Dragons were ordered by Vaaspar to safeguard the lives of Men, but the Dragon era was nearing its end, for Abaddon’s whisperings were instilling fear of Dragons into the hearts of Men; and so the Men of Gaia sought to eradicate them.

Two ages had nearly passed since Men first appointed kings over their lands when Abaddon’s full evil and rage poured forth from his northern kingdom. His army flourished anew, and it grew stronger than ever. From the Realm of the Dead, he shared his evil plots with his faithful followers. Vaaspar once again roamed the lands of Gaia until Men, poisoned by the whispers of the Dark Lord, looked at Him with evil intent. Before long, Men attacked Vaaspar filling him with many arrows and many swords and many spears. He died that day in Gaia in the year 1663 D.R. Abaddon rejoiced greatly at His death, but Vaaspar’s spirit returned to Elúne; and it was there that He found new life. Abaddon beheld as the Lord of Light sat once again upon His great and glorious throne, and the Dark Lord was filled with despair and ire.

Now it seemed that time slowed down, and Men were dying sooner than in the ages before. Men cursed and accused the Dragons for their shortening life. Thus, theGreat Dragon War commenced in the year 1664 D.R. Vaaspar, ashamed of Men and for awakening them, stayed in Elúne, and Men quickly forgot about Him. Before long, Men spoke of Vaaspar of as in legends or rumors to their children. Yet, a small few upheld Him as a god, or even theGod of Valor—which was the name of the world as a whole given by Men. For the most, however, talk of Vaaspar became merely great fables told in fireside tales. Without the Lord of Light to protect them, the Dragons were slain, all but a few, and the Great Dragon War ended in the year 1670 D.R.

After the Great Dragon War—though it was not so great, for only a few Dragons retaliated, since it was their purpose to protect and not harm humans—Men saw the scars of war on the world around them, and they cried out in despair. They now suffered deeply to mend a broken world—ruined by their own doings and mischief. After the decimation of the Dragons, humans were filled with confusion and easily fell astray to join evil powers, for the Dragons were responsible for teaching and protecting as were Vaaspar’s orders. It seemed to Abaddon that he had won against Vaaspar at last, and he planned, before long, to destroy the last of Men. He was thus called the Great Destroyer, and Men were, for a time, filled with contempt towards the Dark Lord once again. Following the Great Dragon War and the destruction of the Dragons, the Second Age of Kings began.

In the years that unfolded, Men established a few great kings to rule their new lands; for in ages old, the lands were governed by many rulers and the hearts of Men were easily corrupted. So it was in the beginning of the Second Age of Kings, in the year 83 Post Dragon Era (83 PDE), Men established the new kingdoms of Gaia. In the Western Lands, there were three mighty Kingdoms: Alterash, Vash’ala, and Bolteras. In the Eastern Lands, there were eight mighty Kingdoms: Caire Thrael, Sanctum Anthropolis—consisting of the three Kingdoms known as the Guole Sector, the Vexica Sector, and the Grimora Sector—Scipherius, Xiphoria, and the Bestial Lands.

Since Abaddon raised the land bridge, called the Dark Lord’s Pass—or the Serpent’s Pass as Men began to call it, for they considered Abaddon a cunning snake—Dragoth became a part of the Eastern Lands and loomed ever ominously to the north of Caire Thrael and the Bestial Lands. This was the eighth and last of the lands considered a part of the Eastern Lands. These lands, eleven in all, formed the world of Gaia. Many of the inhabitants of Gaia began to wonder if the White Land still existed in the West or if it was simply a fabricated tale of old, for none now dared venture across the Great Sea ever since the rise of the terrifying Sea Serpents. And only a few wise and powerful knew whence they truly came. So it was that Elúne—whether it still existed to the far west or whether it faded into ancient memory—was long forgotten to Men.

The years passed, and the countries merely existed, ostensibly meaningless, for a long period of time until the year 1332 P.D.E. Unexpectedly, Abaddon’s army in the north stirred and descended into Caire Thrael to the south where they met little opposition. The Men of Caire Thrael, the descendents of the only race of Men who once defended the Dragons during the Dragon Wars, were now eager to accept the Draemhas into their midst. They welcomed them with pride in their hearts because they desired to do battle with them and prove their might against them. As time elapsed, the Men of Caire Thrael and the forces of Dragoth forged an alliance in 1348 P.D.E. The Dark Lord had found favor in the Caire Thraeleans’ strength and planned to use it to his advantage.

Before long, war revisited the Eastern Lands, and evil was awakened amidst the kingdoms of the East. Rumors were heard of an evil arising also in the West. How the forces were reaching the Western Lands, none knew; and so it was that none of the Men in the Eastern or WesternLands ever saw the forces of Darkness passing through to the West. However he had done it, Abaddon now had influence in both the Eastern and Western Lands of Gaia; yet he halted his advance for he was still a spirit banished from his mortal body, and he desired fervently to conquer the world of Gaia by his own hand. And so small battles were fought here and there, but the Dark Lord never sent his armies in full force.

More time passed, and the rumors of Draemhas existing in the West were confirmed by many. But there arose from amongst the Keshians in the land of Bolteras a few brave people who came to be some of the most vital characters during the war in the Western Lands, for they would inspire many to rise to arms against the threat of evil. The year was 1363 P.D.E. when Victor Perigas, son of Valent the Alchemist—whose prowess was unmatched—set forth with his adoptive father, Arthur Grause, and a band of travelers to the glorious capital city of Vallicore in Bolteras to learn of their destiny in the chaotic happenings of the world.

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About joelcgillespie

I am a husband and father of one son named Solomon. I am a Christian. God has done so much for me--more than I could have ever thought or imagined--and I owe Him my all. That is why I write a lot about spiritual things, the things of God. I am eternally grateful to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, who died to set me free from the punishment that comes from sin and who has made me right with God. I am a writer and love writing fantasy fiction.